Sportys kicked to the curb for Spruce

comanchepilot

comanchepilot

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Joe Farrell, yeah, him
ANN ranted on about how Sportys got hit up for money to maintain its 'recommendation' by AOPA to buy pilot stuff . . . . and then today in the AOPA newsletter we get notification that Aircraft Spruce has replaced Sportys - they didn't say it like that - but thats what they said.

Wonder how much Spruce 'contributed' to the AOPA Foundation and PAC . . .

makes not want to use Spruce now . . .
 
comanchepilot said:
ANN ranted on about how Sportys got hit up for money to maintain its 'recommendation' by AOPA to buy pilot stuff . . . . and then today in the AOPA newsletter we get notification that Aircraft Spruce has replaced Sportys - they didn't say it like that - but thats what they said.

Wonder how much Spruce 'contributed' to the AOPA Foundation and PAC . . .

makes not want to use Spruce now . . .
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:yeahthat:
 
comanchepilot said:
ANN ranted on about how Sportys got hit up for money to maintain its 'recommendation' by AOPA to buy pilot stuff . . . . and then today in the AOPA newsletter we get notification that Aircraft Spruce has replaced Sportys - they didn't say it like that - but thats what they said.

Wonder how much Spruce 'contributed' to the AOPA Foundation and PAC . . .

makes not want to use Spruce now . . .
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If that's true, that's a crappy thing to do. However I would not take it out on Spruce. They might just be the innocent bystandard in the "I am going to recommend anyone but Sportys" move.

Doesn't ANN have a beef with AOPA at the moment? I think I would want a credible second source at the moment before I believe what I read.
 
Fearless Tower said:
It does stink, but when you live in SoCal, it is hard to beat ordering something standard shipping and getting it delivered to your door within 24hrs.
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that is true . . . and if you read the ANN rant which I indirectly reference . . . you'll get the sarcasm.
 
How do you people think the world works? Do you think there are three Coke glasses in front of the judges on American Idol because they all happen to like Coke?

Seriously, if American Idol told Coke they had to pay more because ratings are up would you stick up for Coke too? Of course not. It's business. Sporty's is no different. AOPA doesn't owe them a thing, IMO.
 
Captain said:
How do you people think the world works? Do you think there are three Coke glasses in front of the judges on American Idol because they all happen to like Coke?

Seriously, if American Idol told Coke they had to pay more because ratings are up would you stick up for Coke too? Of course not. It's business. Sporty's is no different. AOPA doesn't owe them a thing, IMO.
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never said they did . . . I'm just being sarcastic . . . . [said with a Ron White accent]
 
AOPA recommendations don't mean anything to me. I've found that there "recommended" services etc...are generally a good deal for nobody but AOPA itself.
Always shop around.
 
Captain said:
How do you people think the world works? Do you think there are three Coke glasses in front of the judges on American Idol because they all happen to like Coke?

Seriously, if American Idol told Coke they had to pay more because ratings are up would you stick up for Coke too? Of course not. It's business. Sporty's is no different. AOPA doesn't owe them a thing, IMO.
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It's a paid sponsorship, no different than any other. I like Sporty's, haven't ordered much from them in years, but I don't think any more or less of them or Spruce with this change in advertising partnership. Look at it like a celebrity endorsement, just cause my favorite singer supports a political candidate, doesn't mean I will vote for them. ;)
 
N747JB said:
just cause my favorite singer supports a political candidate, doesn't mean I will vote for them. ;)
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but that does mean that sometimes, I'll never give them a dime of my money ever again no matter how much I like their music. . . .
 
Nobody thinks advertising works on them. Sticking with American Idol, how many people do you think admit they buy Coke because they see judges on American Idol drink it. Near none, that's how many...and yet Coke spends massive cash to put those cups there.

Trust me when I say Sporty's will see sales decline and that Spruce place will see sales go up. That's how it works and everyone (myself included) is a lemming to some extent.
 
Does AOPA sell endorsements? Never noticed nor cared. :rolleyes:

The only thing advertising does for me is support programs on Cable, TV, magazines, newspapers, web sites, whatever it is that I enjoy. Whoever pays the bills makes no difference to me as long as they pay the bills.

Cheers
 
Captain said:
Nobody thinks advertising works on them. Sticking with American Idol, how many people do you think admit they buy Coke because they see judges on American Idol drink it. Near none, that's how many...and yet Coke spends massive cash to put those cups there.
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All it tells you is that the people marketing to the Coke execs are effective.
 
No, companies demand a return on investment. That return is measurable and real. No company, Coke included, spends millions without a demonstratable effect. Advertising is a mature industry. It's not snake oil.
 
Advertising can have an opposite effect...

I'll never buy Geico insurance. The media blitz they excrete from every orifice tells me that way too much of their budget goes to advertising which naturally must translate to less going to customers via lower rates or easier claims.

So easy a caveman can figure that one out. ;)
 
Captain said:
No, companies demand a return on investment. That return is measurable and real. No company, Coke included, spends millions without a demonstratable effect. Advertising is a mature industry. It's not snake oil.
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Sure. That explains the money p*ssed away on CEO salaries.

:goofy:
 
tlglenn said:
Geico's squealing pig makes me want to commit acts of violence against anyone and anything associated with that company.
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Progressive Insurance's "Flo" makes me ill. I just despise those commercials.
 
Captain said:
No, companies demand a return on investment. That return is measurable and real. No company, Coke included, spends millions without a demonstratable effect. Advertising is a mature industry. It's not snake oil.
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Does this mean advertising can be advertised, increasing the total time/space/whatever sold over what it would otherwise be? Return on investment would be constant.

Paradoxes can be useful. This means either return on investment cannot be the only driver, or that advertisement doesn't work for advertising. It certainly does exist.
 
MAKG1 said:
Does this mean advertising can be advertised, increasing the total time/space/whatever sold over what it would otherwise be? Return on investment would be constant.

Paradoxes can be useful. This means either return on investment cannot be the only driver, or that advertisement doesn't work for advertising. It certainly does exist.
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Can you say that again...slower?
 
How many of you have purchased AOPA gear from the AOPA Store at Sporty's?
 
Capt. Dan said:
How many of you have purchased AOPA gear from the AOPA Store at Sporty's?
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Great point. Never. Didn't feel the need to advertise for AOPA on my flight bag.

I do however, have a PoA shirt! You guys should be scared. There might someday be drunken revelry photos of someone wearing your "corporate" logo. Haha. Think of the scandal! Tee hee.
 
you mean my conclusion that Coke Zero tastes 1000 times better than Diet Pepsi or Pepsi Max has nothing to do with why I buy it instead of Pepsi?

Really? Wow. Who knew that it was all those coke glasses on AI. . .
 
comanchepilot said:
you mean my conclusion that Coke Zero tastes 1000 times better than Diet Pepsi or Pepsi Max has nothing to do with why I buy it instead of Pepsi?

Really? Wow. Who knew that it was all those coke glasses on AI. . .
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Ooh, another member of the Coke Zero religion. That stuff is my "I'm going to die from drinking too much soda, leave me alone you annoying healthy person..." weapon of choice. ;)

Are we big enough to need a secret handshake yet? :)
 
denverpilot said:
Ooh, another member of the Coke Zero religion
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Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, it doesn't matter. I don't drink any of them. I drink water: God's Fluid.

The way I look at it...

...If I drink enough of God's Fluid during the day, then I can drink a little Devil's Juice at night and break even for the day!

:goofy:
 
comanchepilot said:
ANN ranted on about how Sportys got hit up for money to maintain its 'recommendation' by AOPA to buy pilot stuff . . . . and then today in the AOPA newsletter we get notification that Aircraft Spruce has replaced Sportys - they didn't say it like that - but thats what they said.
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I maintain that anyone discussing a hit article at Aero-News Network needs to read the thread "Negative ANN article about Cirrus". By the way, for me "ANN" stands for "Anime News Network". Just can't help it.
 
Capt. Dan said:
How many of you have purchased AOPA gear from the AOPA Store at Sporty's?
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I had a friend buy me something AOPA related about 20 years ago, a sweatshirt I think, but that is all I can think of. :dunno:
 
If you buy just about anything, your going to be advertising for them. If you buy any clothing, there is at least a logo. If you buy a car, or an airplane, there is a logo. We're all billboards. I like AOPA. They sent me a free flight bag when I joined. Probably wont last much longer its cheap. I will buy a couple items from them in the future. I like the online training, and their magazines. If I bought a sweatshirt, or a t shirt, I feel it is worth supporting them. But, I am not going to order an AOPA item from Sportys. Sportys rapes people on shipping.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
N747JB said:
I had a friend buy me something AOPA related about 20 years ago, a sweatshirt I think, but that is all I can think of. :dunno:
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I strongly suspect the biggest market for AOPA stuff is AOPA headquarters.

Logo merchandise doesn't cost much, beyond the cost of the clothing itself. I paid a ~$100 artwork fee to the local embroidery shop for a design for work, and since then, we've had ~100 golf shirts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and fleecies made up...in order sizes ranging from 10 to 25 units.

So it's not like having logo merchandise available costs much. Using someplace like Sporty's as a go-between gets a better rate (since the go-between can order a lot more shirts, etc. since they do multiple logo) and keeps AOPA from having to have anybody handle the mechanical details.

Sporty's loses any prestige of being AOPA's official merchandise source, and AOPA loses the advertising benefit of being featured in Sporty's catalog. In reality, Sporty's is acting as the go-between to the actual embroiderers and loses whatever "cut" they got of each sale. But, as been mentioned, the number of orders was probably fairly low to start with, and AOPA will regain the advertising benefit because of the new vendor.

Income-wise, it's probably a very minor hit for Sporty's.

Ron Wanttaja
 
wanttaja said:
...Sporty's loses any prestige of being AOPA's official merchandise source...
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...and when you're buying "prestige," the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

AOPA membership has taken a hit as the organization grows to look less like an advocacy group, and more like it's focused on sustaining its own bloat. Prestige can be fleeting.
 
PW_Plack said:
...and when you're buying "prestige," the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
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Certainly. But if Sporty's didn't perceive any "prestige," and wasn't selling many AOPA-labeled items...

...why are they complaining when AOPA takes its custom elsewhere?

Ron Wanttaja
 
Capt. Dan said:
How many of you have purchased AOPA gear from the AOPA Store at Sporty's?
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I have but only when I was buying other stuff. If you're going to have to pay a premium price for a product PLUS SHIPPING, you need to make it worth it.
Twice in 20 years.
 
I've never seen anyone wear AOPA anything besides a free hat, and Sporty's is overpriced.
 
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